HAALAND GIVES CITY AN EXTRA DIMENSION
Predator is missing link for Pep
Manchester cItY would have lost this game without erling haaland. In fact, Manchester city have lost this exact game a fair few times without erling haaland. crystal Palace had, at half-time, seemed destined to extend their points tally at the etihad over the last five seasons to 10. two up — through a John stones own goal and a Joachim andersen header — and having not conceded a shot on target, Patrick Vieira looked set to repeat the same trick as last year.
But 39 minutes later, Pep Guardiola was aggressively pounding the chest of haaland after allowing his striker a standing ovation. he had his hat-trick and deserved the reception with the contest done. three goals from 16 touches, for those who like to keep count.
a force of nature, haaland (pictured) can do that to anybody, as many more will find out. Match balls will flow and he will alter bigger games than this.
Yet this particular challenge is precisely why city paid £51million for him this summer. For the awkward afternoons when they are average against stubborn opposition who have their noses in front.
‘these games are why I’m here, to turn things around when there are difficult times,’ haaland said.
In days gone by — and last October’s 2-0 home defeat by Palace is a perfect example — Guardiola could only watch on his haunches as they resorted to launching crosses into the box, his usually mesmeric midfielders running out of ideas.
haaland’s first, a header after Phil Foden’s cross into a good area for a goalscorer to attack, provided clear evidence that this is what city have been missing. nobody would have been stood in that spot last season. even if they were, none would have checked their run to react to different phases of play as haaland did, engineering his angles to generate power on the header.
‘We are completely in love with him,’ Guardiola said. ‘It’s not just the goals, it’s how happy he is. I see his behaviour and his body language. his is always right.’
there appears a boyish wonder to haaland’s celebrations, racing to all corners of the ground in crazed excitement. that is six Premier League goals in four appearances now, one every 54 minutes. his third, bulldozing Joel Ward before deftly clipping into the corner when in full flight, was trademark haaland.
But there would have been strong words in the home dressing room at half-time, city conceding more goals from set-pieces in the first half than they did in the whole of last season. and this was the fourth time in six games that they have gone two goals down.
‘We were lucky but tomorrow we might not be lucky and we’ll drop points,’ Guardiola said.
MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Ederson 6; Walker 6, Stones 7, Dias 6, Cancelo 5 (Gundogan 61); Rodri 6, Silva 9; Mahrez 6 (Alvarez 61), De Bruyne 7 (Palmer 89), Foden 8; Haaland 9 (Gomez 84). Subs not used: Ortega, Gomes, Lewis, Knight, Wilson-Esbrand. Booked: Foden. CRYSTAL PALACE (5-4-1): Guaita 6; Clyne 6 (Olise 74), Ward 6, Andersen 7, Guehi 6, Mitchell 7 (Richards 59); Ayew 6 (Mateta 74), Doucoure 6, Schlupp 6, Eze 8; Edouard 7 (Hughes 67). Subs not used: Johnstone, Milivojevic, Ebiowei, Whitworth, Rodney. Booked: Guehi, Mateta. Man of the match: Erling Haaland. Referee: Darren England.